The Times refused to back down on its hire, saying that Jeong deserved special treatment and protection from accountability for her words, even as people from all races and genders receive harassment online.

“We hired Sarah Jeong because of the exceptional work she has done covering the internet and technology at a range of respected publications,” the Times wrote. “Her journalism and the fact that she is a young Asian woman have made her a subject of frequent online harassment. For a period of time she responded to that harassment by imitating the rhetoric of her harassers.

“She sees now that this approach only served to feed the vitriol that we too often see on social media. She regrets it, and The Times does not condone it. We had candid conversations with Sarah as part of our thorough vetting process, which included a review of her social media history. She understands that this type of rhetoric is not acceptable at The Times and we are confident that she will be an important voice for the editorial board moving forward.”

Attorney Will Chamberlain explained the double standard of the mainstream media in this hiring: “Democrats have redefined racism precisely so people like Sarah Jeong can say racist things and still get jobs at the New York Times.”